Regional Restaurant Chain

Situation

A Craford client for over 20 years, this leading restaurant chain owns and operates 21 full-service restaurants that are located in five western states. Headquartered in California they have over 800 benefited employees. Their current Health and Welfare budget is $5.3 Million.

Challenges

Like other white table cloth establishments, they've seen a decline in business and margins. They continue to balance the need to recruit and retain employees against the need to tighten operating costs. As a result, their Human Resources department is lean and challenged to provide superior benefits at a cost that is at or slightly under budget.

Actions

In order to maximize value and administrative efficiencies we are running two plans side by side: A fully-insured HMO in California and a national self-funded PPO. The self-funded PPO allows them the ability to provide the uniform benefits in all locations. Craford has established self-funded budgets and employee contributions based on standard actuarial values.

Results

Through our careful calculation and client collaboration we have helped them keep their plans right at budget for the prior 3+ years. On a year-over-year basis, Craford has effectively and consistently negotiated the renewal through dynamic relationships and negotiations with the carrier underwriting staff. Through our strong relationships with both the client and their carriers they were able to provide superior benefits at a reasonable and fair price to their employees.